I was recently asked, “Who are my biggest clients?” My business provides elemental information to a variety of different customer bases; consumers, businesses, industries and government. Each group has different reasons for the knowledge we provide. But there is one specific sub-group which seems to be most concerned about their environment, parents of autistic children.
The topic of autism and heavy metals is generally only discussed in a small circle of people. To be honest my knowledge of autism and environmental concerns, prior to 2007 and the start of my business (www.essco-safetycheck.com), was very limited about autism and about environmental concerns, “paper or plastic?” But my perceptions have changed dramatically, not only about autism and environmental concerns but how we can help people to improve lives with knowledge of your environment.
When I answered the question, of course I mentioned a few names of businesses, but when I thought about it I said that the one group of people who are my biggest clients and most concerned about the environment are families with autistic children.
I was asked “Why?” Now, I first want to emphasize that I am not a doctor or scientist, maybe I’m becoming a researcher, but this is just my insight and opinion.
For two years I have been to many consumers homes providing XRF testing, in-home assessments for potentially harmful elements in consumer products (toys, ceramics, jewelry, I want to test the things that you have a direct relationship to), housing, structures, soil, you name it and I’ve probably tested it. Dozens of these homes have been homes for families with autistic children.
These families have a desire to know what is in their environment. Their children have health and behavioral issues; in each and every home with autistic children (that I have been to), the parents also inform me that their children have heavy metals in their blood. Not just one metal, but several, in one home I was shown the child’s blood metals lab report and 12 or 13 different metals were present, including; lead, cadmium, arsenic, mercury, antimony, tin, chromium, copper, and others.
What I find interesting is that in each and every home with autistic children (that I have been to and provided XRF testing), I find the same metals in the consumer products that are used around the home, by the children, that the parents have informed me are in the children’s blood.
I am not saying that the metals in the consumer products are the cause of autism, but I have found the same metals in the consumer products in the home of the autistic child that the parents tell us are in their children’s blood. Is it coincidence? I’m not sure; I have had my beliefs formed from over two years of providing testing services to help people know what is in their environment.
I suspect we are all subjected to low levels of all of the elements we find. Maybe it is the lack or inability for these children to properly process, excrete these metals (and chemicals when you think of all that we are potentially exposed to) we are all bombarded with. Most people can process the metals, but for those that can’t?
If we can help to inform parents what is in their environment, these parents can potentially reduce or eliminate exposure to the same metals found in their children’s blood. If you remove the harmful metals from the child’s environment, will they eventually be removed from the child’s blood?
The parents of autistic children are concerned because even low doses of some of these metals can be very harmful to the health and wellbeing of their children. How are these metals getting into their children? I can’t exactly say, but we are here to help people know what is in their environment and reduce potential toxic element exposure.
